John Edward Thaw

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Alternative Title:
John Edward Thaw

John Edward Thaw, British actor (born Jan. 3, 1942, Manchester, Eng.—died Feb. 21, 2002, Luckington, Wiltshire, Eng.), was a respected actor who starred in several British television series but achieved international recognition for one of his roles—the crusty, cerebral Chief Inspector Morse, the title character in a series of 33 two-part dramas based on the novels of British detective writer Colin Dexter. Thaw trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and made his professional stage debut in 1960 at the Liverpool Playhouse. He played a police sergeant on the TV series Redcap in the 1960s and became a star in the ’70s as the tough Detective Inspector Jack Regan on The Sweeney.Inspector Morse dramas were broadcast intermittently starting with “The Dead of Jericho” in January 1987 (first broadcast in the U.S. in 1988). The final episode, “Remorseful Day,” which featured Morse’s death, aired in 2000. Thaw’s other popular TV roles included a divorced father in the comedy series Home to Roost (1985–89), a sympathetic barrister in Kavanaugh QC (1994–99), and a Roman Catholic priest in Nazi-occupied France in Monsignor Renard (1999). He won two BAFTAs for best actor (1989 and 1992) and was nominated for best supporting actor for the 1986 filmCry Freedom. Thaw was made CBE in 1993 and was awarded a BAFTA for lifetime achievement in 2001, shortly before he announced he had cancer.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Karen Sparks, Director and Editor, Britannica Book of the Year.

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